ISLAMABAD: President Mamnoon Hussain said on Friday that democracy was strengthening in Pakistan and the executive, legislature and judiciary were working harmoniously.In a meeting with the Secretary General Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Akbar Khan, who called on the President at the Aiwan-e-Sadr here, he expressed satisfaction with the present state of the democracy in the country. He also expressed hope that democracy would grow further with the passage of time. The President said that both democracy and good governance were essential for economic development and harmony in the country. The government attached great importance to ensuring human rights for all segments of the society, he added. He said that the government was striving to empower the women so that they can play their due role in the progress and prosperity of the country. He further said that special attention was being paid by the government to ensure equal rights for the minority communities in accordance with Quaid-e-Azam’s empathic pronouncement that all communities enjoy equal rights as Pakistanis. He stated that Pakistan was committed to fighting terrorism and the `Zarb-e-Azb’ operation had been successful in restoring peace in the country and expressed the resolve that this operation would continue till elimination of the last terrorist. It was a result of Operation Zarb-e-Azb that the situation was returning to normalcy. He further observed that many foreign delegates and entrepreneurs were now visiting Pakistan. Calling upon investors from Commonwealth countries to take the advantage of attractive investment policies in Pakistan , he asked them to invest in the energy, infrastructure and other sectors. He stressed the need for more exchange of delegations amongst Commonwealth countries in the education field in order to benefit from each other’s expertise and experiences. President Mamnoon stated that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project would usher in a new era of prosperity, not only in Pakistan but also the whole region and improve connectivity between regional countries for mutual benefit. He congratulated Akbar Khan on assuming the office of Seventh Secretary-General of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and hoped that he would prove to be instrumental in strengthening Pakistan’s cooperative partnership with his organisation in the spheres of parliamentary support programmes and promoting inter-parliamentary relations amongst the Commonwealth member parliaments. The President hoped that the visiting Commonwealth Secretary General would have a productive and comfortable stay in Pakistan. Akbar Khan, Secretary General CPA said that Pakistan was one of the first countries he was visiting after assuming the office of the Secretary General and he had come here to express his solidarity with the people of Pakistan and to witness the progress attained by the country. Khan postulated that the intra-Commonwealth trade volume would be around $1 trillion by 2020 and urged Pakistani businessmen and traders to avail vast opportunities to further boost Pakistan’s economy.